I’ve been playing Blizzard games for as long as I can remember, starting back with the original Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo. I’ve sunk more hours than I care to admit into World of Warcraft (I do not play anymore). I’ve dabbled in Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm. Needless to say, I’m generally a fan of Blizzard’s games. When details about Overwatch first came out, I loved the art style and the character variety, but I wasn’t too sure about the genre. The last time I had played any sort of FPS was back in the Hexen days. A game, that I just realized, came out in 1995. Wow, I feel old.

Playing Heroes of the Storm introduced me to a level of toxicity that seemed even worse than the kind of chat one typically experiences while doing PVP battles in WoW. While I have developed a thick skin from being an active internet user for decades, I don’t really enjoy getting insults while I’m playing games. Heroes of the Storm is a fine game, but I didn’t really feel it was such an awesome game that it was worth dealing with the trolls to play. So, I was a little wary that the Overwatch community was going to be similar.

Due to various boring reasons that don’t need explanation, I didn’t buy Overwatch until a couple of weeks ago. I’m happy to say that the level of toxicity in the game is far less than I expected. Yes, there have been some mean comments, but it’s been pretty mild. The game does have a voice chat system, but I elected to turn it off when I first started playing. I understand that voice chat can be helpful for coordinating with your team, but the chance of having to listen to some kid mouth off is enough to make it not worth it.

For the record, I have no idea what it’s like in competitive play. I’m honestly not sure that I will try it. I wouldn’t be surprised if the atmosphere in competitive play is a “little” more tense though.

I’m also happy that my lack of any recent FPS experience hasn’t been a major hamper. Am I winning every match? Hardly, but the game offers plenty of characters to better suit your experience or lack of experience. If you’re not too sure about your aiming accuracy, for example, you can play Mercy, the game’s best healer. Playing a tank like D.VA or Reinhardt is also a good choice if you’re a little unsure about your shooting skill.

Overwatch is a fantastic game that is certainly worth checking out if you’ve been on the fence about it. I’m planning to post more things about it the future, including tips for new players.